By David Saltzer,
AngelsWin.com Senior Writer
At some point in our lives, we’ve
all thought about what we would do if we won the lottery. Buy a house. Pay off
some bills. Take a vacation for a month or two. A new car. New clothes. New
toys. The list goes on and on.
Where did charity fit into that
list? Be honest: how many of you have thought about making difference in the
world if you came into a sudden windfall of money? Now, imagine you have all
the money your heart could desire, could a single child inspire you to donate
tens of thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of your time?
That’s the story of the CJWCC.
That stands for the C.J. Wilson’s Children’s Charities. While playing in Texas,
C.J. Wilson met Micah Champagne, a child with severe hemophilia, at a local
children’s hospital. C.J. was there to do some good in the world for the day, but
what happened has led him to do some good in the world for a lifetime.
This year, I was
able to attend the Fifth Annual Throw Strikes Bowling Tournament hosted by the
CJWCC. I was not alone. There were over 400 fans in attendance, all bowling to
raise over $35,000 for the CJWCC. There were bowling competitions. Plenty of
Angels gear was raffled off (including a signed Trout jersey and bat). There
were booths to learn about local health programs. And, of course, there was
C.J. Wilson.
In my time, I
have attended many charity events. It’s always a pleasure to know that you are
doing some good while having some fun. At many of these events, there are
wonderful opportunities to meet a celebrity or two.
What I saw at the
Throw Strikes event, though, was something different. It was the way that C.J.
interacted with the crowd. He started to sign autographs at 6:00. He didn’t
stop until after 10:00 pm. He never rushed a fan. He never refused to sign an
autograph. He took and retook photos for the entire time (with the exception of
when he hosted the raffle). He put off eating dinner so as not to delay the
crowd. Even while they showed a video about the charity, he continued to talk
with fans and continued to sign autographs.
More than just
signing autographs, C.J. did something that few celebrities can do—he gave each
fan a unique moment. That’s hard work. Imagine being in a dark bowling alley
and having hundreds of camera flashes go off in your eyes every hour. Add in
having to answer thousands of questions, and sign hundreds of items and it has
the potential to get tiring fast.
And yet, C.J. did
all of that without ever letting onto the fans just how taxing all of that can
be. He made each person feel special when they spoke with them. He answered
their questions, even if they were just asked by the person ahead of them. He
interacted with them on their level. He doled out hugs and unique hand shakes. He
mixed it up so that no two people got the same experience with him. For the
fans, it was truly a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
As I watched him
working the line (that never seemed to shrink throughout the night), I thought
about what I would ask him during an interview. I knew that he would be tired
at the end of the night, but I wanted to know what motivated him to be so
philanthropic. Was it unique to him, or was it something that was brought out
by baseball. Had he thought about what he’d do as he progressed through the
Minors, or had it just evolved along the way. I asked him those questions and
more in my interview. What I learned was rather unique about C.J.
Besides the
generous nature of C.J., two other things really stood out for me about the
CJWCC. In a video that they shared with everyone, they talked about the types
of items that they have donated and supported. And, in some cases, they were
sources of entertainment for the children to help them pass the time during
their long hospital stays. Having personally experienced a traumatic childhood
illness, I knew how much those types of things meant to the children undergoing
long-term treatment. Anything that can be done to lift the spirits in the
hospital is a godsend.
Second, as C.J. Wilson
said, “A lot of people ask us how they can help with our charity. You can
always donate your time.” I fully agree. While charities need people to write
checks (and big checks really help), they live and die on the support of people
committing the time and following through with the effort.
For many people,
donating money is easier than donating time. That’s why I was so impressed with
C.J. Wilson because he did both. Not only does he support the charities
monetarily, he also supports the charity with his time. He is actively involved
in their work and actively supported the fans who came out to attend. What I
saw was truly inspired play.
Please click below to watch our interview with C.J. Wilson.
Please click here
to learn more about the CJWCC and how you can help support its worthy cause and attend their upcoming events.
